Celtic held at Hibs

Celtic's Clydesdale Bank Premier League title challenge suffered a blow when they were held to a goalless draw by Hibernian at Easter Road.

Gary Caldwell and Scott McDonald missed good chances in the first half after Hoops' keeper Artur Boruc had saved well from Steven Fletcher's over-head kick but the champions could not get the second-half breakthrough despite incessant pressure

Celtic host Hearts at Parkhead next week in the last game of the season while Rangers travel to Dundee United two points clear of the champions.

Hibs had dented the Ibrox club's title challenge with a 1-1 draw at Easter Road in midweek but they could barely get out of their own half in the opening moments as Celtic quickly took a grip.

But in the seventh minute, seconds after they had won their first corner of the game, the Leithers had their first effort on goal when skipper Rob Jones headed a Derek Riordan cross over the bar from 10 yards. The champions, though, treated that let-off as a mere blip.

However, in the 22nd minute, it was Boruc who was the first keeper to be called in to action. To end a brief spell of Hibs pressure, the Hoops' keeper pulled off a fine save from Fletcher's overhead kick, after the Easter Road striker had latched on to a searching Ross Chisholm cross.

Six minutes from the interval Caldwell should have taken advantage of a pin-point Shunsuke Nakamura free-kick from wide on the left but he failed to get enough on his header and the ball slipped past the far post and the waiting Andreas Hinkel.

In the final minute Celtic missed another decent chance to get the breakthrough when McDonald latched on to a long pass from Caldwell but he screwed his shot from 14 yards wide of the far post.

In the 65th minute Hibs keeper Yves Ma-Kalambay did well to claw away Aiden McGeady's cut-back from the bye-line which was heading for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, who had replaced Georgios Samaras.

It was all becoming increasingly tense and in the 71st minute Ma-Kalambay did well again when he blocked McDonald's angled drive after the Australia international had been set up by Vennegoor of Hesselink, who soon afterwards headed a Hinkel cross over the bar.